Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chris Sanders has built a name for himself in animation like no other. Having worked as a storyboard artist, production/character designer, and writer on films like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Mulan during the ’90s Disney Renaissance, Sanders would make his directorial debut at Walt Disney Animation with Lilo & Stitch in 2002. Years later, he jumped over to DreamWorks Animation and played a huge role in bringing both How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods to life as writer-director. Sanders’ animated tales are perhaps best known for being irresistibly charming and endearing, and The Wild Robot is no different. Based on the children’s book series by Peter Brown, DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot boasts just as much spirit as Chris Sanders’ previous animated hits, combining stunning visuals, phenomenal vocal performances, and a copious amount of heart.
The Wild Robot opens on ROZZUM unit 7134, a naive utilitarian robot voiced by the incomparable Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place: Day One), who has been wrecked on a forest island. “Roz” wakes up with great confusion and curiosity, covered in seaweed and surrounded by sea critters as waves crash over her white mechanical body. She’s stranded and out of her element, having been created to serve humans and complete all kinds of tasks. With no other option, Roz wanders off into the island’s wilderness in search of purpose. After crashing into and accidentally destroying a Goose nest, Roz commits to caring for the lone surviving egg. This brings her into contact with a scheming, hungry fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal). However, when the egg hatches and out emerges a tiny gosling that immediately imprints on Roz, an unexpected family is formed between the three misfits.
Roz is desperate to receive an order, so Fink gives her one: readying the gosling, now named Brightbill (Kit Connor), for the Autumn migration. Considering the young goose is just a mere runt, this task will be more difficult than expected. He will need to join and keep up with a flock, flying endless miles across open water to the safety of the migration grounds. Roz must raise and mother Brightbill like a goose, teaching him how to swim, eat, and fly. Additionally, Brightbill needs to navigate social situations and relentless bullying from his peers as a weak runt, which doesn’t come off naturally given that a robot and a fox are raising him. As Brightbill grows and matures, Roz also changes in some unexpected ways, leading to the titular wild robot experiencing something akin to emotion for the first time in her programmed existence.
Writer-director Chris Sanders assembles an extremely impressive voice cast in The Wild Robot. Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o is front and center with Kit Connor (Heartstopper) and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) right by her side. There’s also Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as the ominous bot Vontra, Bill Nighy (Living) as Brightbill’s goose mentor Longneck, the esteemed Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) as a mother opossum named Pinktail, and the one and only Mark Hamill as Thorn the grizzly bear. The island’s eccentric wildlife brings out some of the movie’s best laughs. However, as stellar as these voice performances are, it would all fall flat if not for the stunning animation displayed throughout The Wild Robot.
The Wild Robot doesn’t look like modern animated movies with blobby character designs and shiny perfectionism. After breaking new stylistic ground in The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, DreamWorks Animation continues to break its own rules, creating an original paintbrush style that feels like children’s book illustrations come to life. This is, of course, visually refreshing for modern audiences who are accustomed to typical 3D-animated movies. Moreover, this paintbrush animation style completely immerses the viewer in the forest island’s lush landscapes and feral wilderness. It’s easy to simply get lost in the gorgeous images on screen. Chris Sanders, head of animation Jakob Hjort Jensen, and the entire team of animators at DreamWorks have made something entirely unique and groundbreaking in its own right.
As is expected, there’s an enormous amount of heart at the core of The Wild Robot, not unlike Chris Sanders’ previous works. With a heartwarming original score by composer Kris Bowers (The Color Purple) to accompany the audience for the duration of the tale, watery eyes are inevitable. Themes of found family, unlocking hidden strengths, and defying expectations are presented poetically. If anything, the film’s tear-jerking nature can be where its one critique lies. The Wild Robot may accomplish exactly what it set out to do with its technical aspects, performances, and story, but it’s not very risky beyond that. The narrative is quite predictable at times; it’s a classic story that will work well for that exact reason. Being a bit formulaic, though, isn’t exactly a huge hindrance in the grand scheme of an extremely well-made and beautiful film.
Dreamworks Animation is continuing its current hot streak with this instant classic, as The Wild Robot is undoubtedly one of the best animated films of the year. With a lovable voice cast supported by stunning visuals, music, and technicals across the board, there’s not much left to yearn for in an animated adventure such as this. In the film, both animals and machines are prompted to question their purpose and what is expected of them purely because of who or what they are. Now, even if the script could have taken more of a leap with this concept, it doesn’t take away from its lasting impact on the audience. In a project where everything else checks all the boxes, perhaps we should question our own programming of wanting more when sometimes all there’s left to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Wild Robot premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and will hit theaters on September 27!
Release Date: September 27, 2024.
Directed by Chris Sanders.
Written by Chris Sanders.
Based on The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.
Produced by Jeff Hermann.
Executive Producer: Dean DeBlois.
Main Voice Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, & Ving Rhames.
Composer: Kris Bowers.
Production Company: DreamWorks Animation.
Distributor: Universal Pictures.
Runtime: 102 minutes.
Rated G.
